Nightfall
by Koalagriton
Summary: 2012 Leo x Casey. Leonardo finds out Casey has been hiding that he's homeless and has been living on the streets all along. A lot of things make sense now.
1. Chapter 1

It was just after nightfall when Leonardo spotted the boy sneaking through an alley in a seedy part of town. He was about to call out to him but stopped when Casey began looking around him to make sure he wasn't being followed or watched before tossing his backpack through a broken window in a boarded up house and then jumping and squirming in behind it.

 _That's odd._ He thought to himself and followed. _What would Casey want to do in there?_

The building was run-down and abandoned and this streets were known for junkies and drug dealings, not a place Casey should be hanging out at. He thought about calling Raph to ask him about it but decided against it, he'd follow Casey and confront him directly. If he was in any trouble maybe he needed his help right away and he couldn't wait around for his brother. He sent Raph a quick text asking for the whereabouts of his human friend before jumping across the alley and onto the roof of the building he'd seen Casey disappear into.

He was lock-picking the access door when his phone buzzed.

 _R: Said he had to stay home to babysit his sister today, why?_

Leonardo frowned. He didn't want to jump to conclusions but he suspected he'd lied to Raph and that probably meant he was in some sort of trouble he didn't want them to know about. Leo snuck through the building using his ninja stealth to avoid being detected as he searched the place for Casey.

The boy wasn't difficult to find. The house was covered in a thick layer of dust and Casey's footprints could easily be spotted going into one of the rooms. He made sure there was no one else there before he stepped out of the shadows.

"Casey?"

Casey yelped and jumped up from the stained mattress he was sitting on. "Leo! What? What are you doing here?"

Casey looked terrified and Leonardo turned his head slightly to make sure they were alone before facing him completely. Why was he looking at him as if he were scared of _him_? "I, uh... saw you and thought you might need... help."

He looked around the room and noticed how lived-in it looked. There was a garbage bag in a corner full of wrappers, paper cups and take-out food containers. The floor here looked relatively clean, the dust had been swept up and there were dirty clothes at the foot of the mattress, blankets and a pillow on top of it. There was even a makeshift clothesline across another corner of the room with some of Casey's socks and underwear hanging up to dry.

As understanding dawned on him he turned his wide eyes to Casey and the boy spoke up. "Just, don't tell anyone, okay? Please, not even Raph."

Alarms went off inside his head. Something bad must have happened for him to be keeping this a secret from Raph. "Did you run away from home? How long have you been-"

"Sort of." Casey cut him off quickly. He was looking more annoyed than angry now. "Look I just... it's none of your business, okay? I'm fine. I don't need help so you can go back to your... whatever you were doing."

"Casey, how long have you been staying here? You know you could have just stayed at the lair whenever you... needed to."

Leo's mind spun as he suddenly recalled all the times he'd just randomly shown up at the lair at stupidly late hours and then stayed the night without even having to call home about it, just falling asleep on the couch and then heading off to school early in the morning as if it were a normal thing. Those times he'd just shown up and ate with them before disappearing again just because he was passing by or when he'd asked if he could use their shower and washing machine because he hadn't been able to at the gym and needed to be somewhere later or some similar excuse. He'd been doing it since they knew him. Donnie had picked on him countless times for his perpetually greasy hair and sweaty shirts and he'd just laughed it off.

"Where..." Leonardo swallowed, afraid of the answer he was going to receive or worst of all of not getting one and being kicked out with this huge secret and no explanation at all. "Where is your family, Casey?" He asked quietly.

Casey seemed to deflate with the question, hunching in on himself before answering. "They're gone." He said with a half shrug and a small voice. He breathed in and crossed his arms defensively, "Ain't no way I was gonna stay in that stupid orphanage. I'm doing just fine on my own! Still going to school and on the hockey team and everything."

"Why didn't you tell us? You could stay with us, Casey, you know you're always welcome."

He squared up to Leo defiantly and made the turtle take a step back. "I don't need your pity or your charity. I don't need a place to bunk for a few nights, Leo. This is my life. What are you saying, that you're going to take me in and care for me? I'm not some abandoned puppy and I'm not a child. I can take care of myself."

"You... jerk." Leo answered back once he found his voice again, his fisted hands trembling at his sides and then put on his sternest big brother, leader voice making the other cower back even if he was a head taller. "Give you _charity_? We live in a sewer, Casey, mostly off of other people's garbage. Don't act like we're rich assholes taking in the poor little orphan to make ourselves feel better. We're friends, damnit! We even lived together at the farmhouse for months like family. Now pick up your shit, we're going to the lair!"

Casey stared at him for a moment. At some point during Leo's tirade he'd uncrossed his arms and his mouth had hung open and now he shut it with a snap. "Holy crap, Leo!" He threw his head back and laughed. "Do you kiss your father with that potty mouth of yours?"

Leonardo couldn't help but laugh right along with his friend's obnoxious cackle but in the end he returned home alone, assuring Casey his secret would be safe as long as he promised to call him if he needed anything. When Raph asked him about his text he just waved him off saying he mistook someone for Casey and then went to sit in his room... and worried.


	2. Chapter 2

Even if they had grown up in a sewer and lived off of people's garbage they'd always had each other, even if it only meant they had someone to complain to when they were hungry or snuggle under their threadbare blankets with when it got cold. He couldn't imagine how it would be to live on the streets alone and when he tried it was terrifying. He shouldn't have left his friend behind. He should have made Casey come back with him but he was so stubborn.

 _It's going to be winter soon._ He thought.

It was already getting pretty cold at night and that blanket Casey had didn't look too warm. Maybe he could sleep under his pile of dirty clothes but that place had been drafty with the broken windows and boarded up doors and he was sleeping on the floor...

He considered telling Raph. He probably knew how to get Casey to come to his senses though his solution probably involved carrying him kicking and screaming down the sewers, maybe knocking some sense into him along the way. Also, that would mean betraying his trust and breaking his promise and he didn't want to do that. No, if he was going to do this he'd have to do it on his own.

Having made a decision he stepped out of his room and gathered some things from the lair, packing them in a bag before sneaking out and heading over to the building where Casey was squatting. He walked right into the room Casey had claimed and sat on his mattress beside the sleeping boy.

"JESUS! _Leo_ , what the...? STOP sneaking up on me like that!"

Leonardo ignored him and pulled out a large blanket he had pilfered, shaking it out and spreading it over Casey and the mattress.

"What are you doing? I don't need anything, Leo." Casey sighed as he watched the turtle.

"Shut up and move over." Leonardo answered in clipped tones as he unfastened the belt for his swords and lay them on the ground within reach along with his leather pads.

"Wha?" Casey sputtered, looking at Leonardo as if he'd lost his mind.

"I'm not leaving you here on your own and you won't come with me so move. over." He picked up the edge of the blanket and squeezed in a foot, pushing Casey's legs insistently with it but the boy wouldn't budge.

"Look, Leo, you're cute and I like you and all but I don't think we should be sleeping together. Your dad would kill me and he's already pretty scary as he is."

Leonardo rolled his eyes and shoved his way under the blankets, pushing Casey over roughly until he could fit on the small mattress squashed against the human. "You're freezing! You're going to get sick, seriously, why didn't you just come with me?" He ignored Casey's complaints and curled himself around the boy, trying to rub some heat into his lanky arms. It wasn't until then that he realised how much skinnier he felt without all his layers of clothing and gear. He probably wasn't eating properly either.

Casey stopped complaining and squirming and just stared at Leo, their faces uncomfortably close but both of them were too obstinate to give any ground now.

"Well, get comfortable because I am NOT going anywhere. Don't think I don't know what you're doing. You better come up with something to tell Splinter about what his perfect son was up to all night."

Leo growled, annoyed. His plan had backfired, of course, but he had counted on this possibility. He pulled out his T-Phone and texted his brothers a quick message about him staying over at Casey's for the night and that he'd explain tomorrow. He'd think of something to tell them by then.

"There, all set." He announced once he was done, feeling pleased at Casey's shocked expression when he settled into the pillow before closing his eyes.

"Leo, you can't... You can't mean to _stay_ here!" Leonardo only nodded in response, not opening his eyes but blinking when he felt Casey's annoyed huff on his face. "You do realise that this is my life _every_ night? It's not going to get better tomorrow or the next day."

"Then I suggest we get a bigger mattress." Leo answered in a level voice, privately pleased with himself at Casey's irritation when he realised he was being serious, and Leo was _very_ serious about this. If there was one thing Leo had in abundance it was patience in dealing with stubborn brothers and he wouldn't budge until Casey agreed to go back with him to the lair.

His phone started buzzing and then wouldn't stop and he imagined at least one brother had been awake to read the message and they were demanding explanations _now_. He sighed and eventually pulled it out again.

L: Staying at Casey's tonight. I'll explain in the morning.

R: wtf?

M: U guys r having a sleepover and didn't invite me? :(((((

R: WHAT THE FUCK?!

R: Leo what?

M: Where does Casey even live anyway?

D: Maybe Leo's having a secret love affair with Casey, don't judge him. ;-)

D: I'll let April know.

M: Maybe we could get pizza and have a party?

The name of the group was changed to: PARTY AT CASEY'S!

The name of the group was changed to: Dont be an idiot.

The name of the group was changed to: Somebodys a sad grumpypants-partypooper.

The name of the group was changed to: You better run before I find you.

Admin rights were revoked from the users: Raph, Mikey.

The name of the group was changed to: The Kappa Brothers

M: Sheesh Donnie

M: Ur so boring sometimes.

R: Is this about before? Casey's in trouble isn't he? He's always getting into trouble.

R: Shit. Leo. Your the one who always says to keep your phone on and to answer right away.

D: That first one is "you're" it's a contraction of you+are.

R: ...

R: Really? Now?

D: Is something wrong? Leo, why aren't you answering?

D: Leo, we're heading over. I can track your phone but it would help if you answered.

Leonardo cursed under his breath and began typing in a quick answer to let them know they weren't in trouble but thought that this might work in his favour. "Well, the others want to know what's up." He turned his phone so Casey could read the messages and, as expected, the boy shot up out of the bed.

"SHIT!" Casey began pulling on his shoes and stuffing clothes in his bag as Leo grinned to himself and got out of bed, slowly strapping his gear back on. "Fine! You won! Let's go to the lair. Just, don't say anything. Call them. Please? Before they get here..."

"Pack all your stuff, I'm not letting you come back here." Leo said firmly with his arms crossed and legs slightly set apart showing this wasn't up for discussion.

" _Okay_! For now. We'll talk about this later, just call them! Please?!"

With a triumphant smile on his face Leo called his brothers and told them they'd be going to the lair and Casey was going to stay a few days while the teen grumbled behind him as he picked up stray items strewn across the room. Leonardo finished putting away his things and they set out.

"How long were you planning on staying until I gave in?" Casey asked him with curiosity from the bench in front of the TV back in the lair when the others weren't around.

"Days?" He shrugged, "Weeks? As long as it took." Leo answered with conviction and Casey sobered, his incredulous laugh dying away when he noticed the turtle wasn't kidding.

"Really?" Leo nodded in reply. "You would have just lived with me? On the street?" Casey was quiet for a moment as he watched the Space Heroes opening credits. "You do know that I'm going back in a few days, don't you?"

"Then I guess I shouldn't unpack my blanket." Leonardo deadpanned.

Casey gaped at him and then sighed, lifting his arms up in sign of surrender. "You say that now but wait until you get tired of me in a few days."

"Have you met my brothers? My tolerance for annoying is through the roof. I guess you're stuck with me." Leonardo smirked as Casey dropped his arm around the turtle's shoulders and pulled him into a grateful half-hug.

"Whatever." Casey answered but couldn't erase the smile from his face.

Leonardo didn't pull away and instead decided he'd rather just stay in the spot where he was, squished against Casey's side and oblivious to the strange looks his brothers were giving them. He peeked at the boy out of the corner of his eye but Casey caught his look and he raised an eyebrow in question. Leo shook his head and decided to leave it for later. Maybe someday Casey would tell him his story, what really happened with his family and what he'd been doing all this time when he wasn't with them. Whenever he decided to tell him he'd listen and he'd make sure he wouldn't be alone again.

"It's all right to let someone take care of you once in a while, you know?" He whispered. Casey squeezed him a little in return and they watched reruns until they fell asleep slumped against each other.


	3. Chapter 3

"Shitshitshitshit!" Casey repeated over and over as he ran across the living room shirtless and in his socks picking up stray bits of clothing. His voice was a little raspy and nasal and he was sniffling every so often.

"Did you sleep in the pit?" Leonardo asked from the entry to the kitchen cradling a warm cup of tea in one hand and holding a piece of peanut buttered toast in the other as he followed the teen with his eyes. "It's getting really chilly and damp, you shouldn't sleep out here with a blanket or you'll catch a cold." He paused to sip and sighed as the feeling of the hot liquid warmed him all the way down to his stomach. "Have you had breakfast yet? You shouldn't leave without breakfast and something warm."

Casey snorted as he tugged on his shoes without bothering to undo the laces. "Okay, _Mom_." He rushed over to where Leonardo was standing, lifted the turtle's hand holding his teacup and gulped down the rest of Leonardo's sweet drink. "Happy?" He grinned at the turtle but when Leonardo only frowned in response as he put the teacup down, he whined. "Cmon, don't give me that, I'm gonna be late again. I don't want detention!"

The teen pulled his sweatshirt over his head but stilled when Leonardo pressed his palm against his face, covering his eyes and then pushed up the boy's hair feeling the temperature on his forehead. "Are you feeling okay? You're kind of warm." Leonardo asked him. "And you shouldn't be going out with wet hair, it's freezing outside."

"Pshhh. I'm always warm to you guys who won't stop feeling me up." Casey replied waving off his concern but not moving away.

Leonardo snorted and shook his head before sliding his hand away. It was kind of true. With their cold-blooded nature and the winter months getting closer the frequency of Mikey's cuddling had increased and there had almost been a fight between him and Raph over who got to sit by Casey on the bench. Casey found it amusing and usually responded with some kind of innuendo or witty remark but always sat closer to whichever of them he found on the bench, even Donnie, who'd make some remark about Casey not understanding the meaning of personal space but wouldn't move away.

Often that meant he'd watch TV pressed up beside Leonardo or Michelangelo with an arm slung over said turtle. Leonardo didn't complain but he wouldn't fight over a spot by the warm human either or go out of his way to squeeze against his side. He might have scooted closer to Casey on a few occasions when no one else was around. Casey never commented when that happened.

"Maybe you should stay home today." Leonardo suggested and when Casey's eyes darted to Raph's door and back to him again he added. "You can sleep in my room if you're, uh, at odds with Raph again."

It wasn't that Casey was that difficult to live with, there were already four other teenage boys living down here so an extra one shouldn't have meant much change. Only it had. The turtles never really had any problem spending time with their friends, and they did so often, their house was always open to them but this wasn't just a passing visit. Essentially it was as if they were five brothers now instead of four and it had affected their dynamic.

There was, of course, the usual friction of having someone new you had to share space, food and time with. Casey was staying in Raph's room on a mattress on the floor for now and even though they were good friends it was bound to cause a few arguments. Raph liked escaping to his room when he was in a huff over whatever and now he had to share it with someone when he just wanted to be left alone. It was hard for Casey not to feel like an intruder. There'd been a few occasions when one or the other had stormed off and then had to sheepishly knock on their door when they wanted to sleep or get something.

"But I've got practice later and I don't wanna miss it..." Casey whined again as he tied on his bandanna and then attempted to finger comb his hair but ended up just shaking it out and making it messier. "And for once I've actually done the homework. Donnie made me spend a whole hour on it and he corrected it and everything. I don't want to go through that for nothing, pleeease?"

Leonardo smiled internally. Casey was pretty independent after having lived on his own and was having trouble adhering to their rules and schedules but sometimes he'd seem like he was trying to get Leo's permission to do things. He was also very pleased that Donnie was helping him out with the boy's schoolwork he was struggling with, their relationship had never been better.

"If you have something to eat before you go and you feel up to it..." He raised his other hand to his mouth and took a bite out of his toast, pretending to be thinking it over.

Casey grinned slyly before stepping forward and biting into the other end, pulling it away with him as he tugged on his coat and his backpack with the toast dangling out of his mouth. He rushed towards the turnstiles and hopped over them.

"Thanks, Leo! Laters!" He crowed over his shoulder, waving the half-eaten toast, his obnoxious cackle echoing around him as he jogged down the tunnel interrupted by a some coughing.

Leonardo shook his head and walked back into the kitchen where he still had enough tea waiting for another cup and a couple more pieces of plain toast on his plate. He'd started changing his meditation schedule to _after_ breakfast when Casey moved in with them, making his mornings coincide with the teen's. They were the only two up at this hour. Master Splinter would rise early but would spend it meditating privately in his rooms and sometimes Donatello would be around if he hadn't even gone to bed in the first place and in those cases he really didn't provide much company on his way to and from the coffee maker.

Weekday mornings were now something else they shared, besides Casey's secret. Every morning Leo would get up to watch Casey rush through his "I'm late to school" routine as he munched on his breakfast where he could poke the other teen about getting up earlier and eating something before leaving. Most mornings Casey would steal Leo's breakfast unaware that the turtle had begun preparing twice the amount.

Casey didn't even like tea.

This, among other things, had resulted in Casey spending more time with Leo and his brothers but mostly Leo. The truth was Leonardo enjoyed having the boy around and not being in the cross-hairs of Raph's ire. Even though they argued, Raph was less grumpy with Casey around, his carefree, anything-goes nature had a way of rubbing off on people. Raph was just a little territorial, they would get angry and then it would blow over the next day. The truth was their arguments were a lot milder than the ones Raph usually had with Leo and there hadn't even been any of those since Casey had moved in with them.

"Did Casey leave yet?" Donatello came into the kitchen holding a few papers up in his hand.

Another sleepless night. He'd have to try get him to get a few hours of sleep before training now and maybe badger him into a nap later before patrol.

"You just missed him." Leo answered as he poured himself another cup of tea without the sugar this time. "Something wrong?" He asked after a sip.

"He forgot his homework in the lab." Donatello answered waving the pages around and then putting them back down. "It's a shame," he continued as he measured out coffee grinds, "worked on it for most of the afternoon yesterday. Maybe they'll let him hand it in late?"

Leonardo stood up and grabbed the papers off the table, at Donatello's questioning look he called out over his shoulder, "I might be able to reach him before he gets to the subway station."

Vaulting over the turnstiles he broke into a sprint, holding the pieces of paper firmly and against his plastron to avoid creasing them. Running at top speed he almost missed the heavy breathing and the shadow in the corner of the tunnel against the wall. He skidded to a stop and pressed himself against the dark bricks of the tunnel, hoping he hadn't been noticed. He'd never get to Casey in time now. He turned around after a moment and began heading home silently but a coughing fit made him stop in his tracks.

"Casey? Is that you?" He asked out loud.

"Leo?" The dark lump moved but his hacking cough got worse. He sounded awful.

"Casey! It hasn't even been five minutes, I thought you were okay!" He knelt down beside the boy who was slumped over and sitting on the floor of the sewers. At least it was dry here but Casey's clothes would need a serious wash.

He tried to help Casey stand but he just sank back down again. "I need a minute." Casey groaned. "Running was a bad idea."

Leonardo put the papers he was carrying into Casey's backpack, slipping them between two text books and then swung it onto his shoulder before ducking under Casey's arm and lifting him up. "Come on, you'll get worse if you stay here, you're going straight to bed."

At Casey's lack of a rebuttal and the way he was carrying most of his weight while the boy dragged his feet along, Leo's worry increased into the usual anxiety level he got when one of his brothers were hurt in combat. He shifted his hand curled around Casey's hip to carry his weight more easily and sped up a little.

"You're strong." Casey muttered. He wasn't as out of it as he looked or maybe he was delirious. "For such a short dude, I mean." He continued with a smirk.

Leo breathed a relieved laugh. If he was still well enough to be cracking jokes he'd be fine. "Even when you're sick you're still kind of a jerk."

Casey chuckled but it soon turned into a wet cough that had them both stopping for a moment until it subsided. "Jeez, stop tryin' ta kill me, will you?"

Donatello gaped at them when they walked back in and quickly went to the lab to the medicine cabinet when Leo assured him he could manage Casey on his own. He led the boy to his own room and left the door open. "Don't want you sleeping on the floor like this." He said as way of explanation. "And this way you can cough without worrying about waking up anyone."

He watched Casey fumbling with his clothing clumsily for a second before offering to help. Helping him out of his clothing was making him a lot more uncomfortable than it should. He was becoming increasingly aware of the heat that came off him, he could feel it from where he was standing, when his fingers slid over soft bare skin as he helped pull off his sweatshirt and when Casey leaned into him to slide off his jeans he tried not to think of his warm breath against his shoulder or what an intimate position they were both suddenly in.

Donatello coughed when Casey had curled an arm over his shoulders to step out of his shoes and the clothing pooled at his ankles. "Am I interrupting something?" He said with a shit-eating grin.

Leonardo rolled his eyes at his brother. They'd all started making comments of the sort recently because Casey had started spending more time with him. He supposed it was payback for all the times Donnie had been teased.

"Yeah, Leo is totally taking advantage of me." Casey answered with a smirk. "I turn around for a moment and he's tryin' ta take off my clothes."

Leonardo shook his head and tried very hard not to blush while Donnie chuckled behind his hand at his embarrassment. Great. "Come on, Casey." He said as he guided him.

"And now he wants to get me in his bed..." Casey continued.

Donnie's chuckling morphed into snorted laughter but he stepped forward to help at Leonardo's distressed look when Casey started swaying and shaking, pulling back the covers and rolling the small electric heater closer, turning it on and fiddling with the dial. He left and came back a short time later with a glass, some pills and a thermometer but left them alone after the medication and temperature was taken care of.

Leo helped Casey into the bed and guided his limbs under the blankets, pulling them up and over the boy to his chin and patting them down along his sides. He caught Casey's sleepy smirk out of the corner of his eye and stopped when he realised he was tucking him in, fighting back his continued embarrassment.

"Gonna tell me a story?" Casey asked him tiredly from his cocoon but when Leo looked away he continued. "I'm serious, I bet you have some good stories to tell."

Leonardo sat down on the edge of the bed. "Okay..." He began, drawing out the word, "There once was a mutant turtle who had a pain in the butt human friend."

Casey snorted in response, his grin growing wider. "I like where this is going." He said but when Leonardo didn't continue he prompted, "so, what happened next?"

"Nothing, that's the whole story. The end." Leo crossed his arms with a smug smile on his face.

"You're terrible at this." Casey yawned out, holding back a few muffled coughs halfway through and groaning as he rubbed his throat under the blankets.

"I'll come by in a bit to check up on you and bring you some soup." Leo said as he got up and walked to the door.

"No goodnight kiss?!" Casey called out with mock indignation.

"Get some rest." Leo answered through an exasperated smile.

He was almost out the door when he heard the boy murmuring. "Thanks for taking care of me, Leo." Casey spoke softly as he settled in for sleep. "I'm lucky I got ya."

Leonardo turned around, wide eyed and opened his mouth to respond but he wasn't sure what to say to that. He was kind of used to his brothers complaining about how fussy or bossy he was with them. Even Mikey ended up getting tired of his hovering, telling him what to do when he was sick and he got called mother hen more often than he'd like to admit. The truth was that Casey was so easy to be around, it felt good to take care of him and Leonardo felt wanted and useful. Even when he overstepped his boundaries with Casey the teen just laughed it off and went with it.

"Anytime." He whispered back to the already snoozing teen, a smile threatening to form on his lips as he walked back into the kitchen to clean up his cold breakfast and found a smug looking Donatello.

"You two are adorable." Donnie told him with his mug near his mouth and following him with his eyes as Leo picked up his dirty dishes and set them in the sink.

Leonardo made a confused face back at him as he started washing the tea pot.

"I meant with the flirting?" Donnie explained further waving his hand around in the direction of where Casey was sleeping.

Leonardo nearly dropped the soapy pot into the sink before he could school his expression to indifference. "What are you talking about? You mean the teasing? He only does it to try get a rise out of me, like the rest of you." He scoffed.

"Sure he does." Donatello replied and placed his own mug in the sink along with Leo's items, probably expecting Leo to wash it also while he was at it.

Leo pressed his mouth into a thin line and decided not to play into the new favourite game that was "make Leo embarrassed with innuendo about Casey" and it seemed to work because Donatello let it go and went back to his lab.

"Might want to take a nap before practice." Leo called out to him as he disappeared but got no answer. He'd just finished yet another mug of coffee so it wouldn't be likely he'd get any rest. He'd talk to his brother about regulating his coffee intake later though he was sure he'd just get brushed off. He sighed and washed Donatello's mug after deciding it would sit around in the sink forever if he didn't and tried not to think about Casey.


	4. Chapter 4

Years of living with and looking out for a brother who had a tendency to sneak out in the middle of the night and get into trouble made Leonardo specially attuned to waking up with the almost silent noise of Raph's bedroom door opening and closing. It also helped that he was a light sleeper so Leo was wide awake and sitting up in bed as his brother's door clicked back into place.

It wasn't Raphael.

He knew this for two reasons: one, his brother wouldn't have been so careless as to have made that much sound in the first place and two, he could still hear Raph's loud snoring from inside his room across the hall.

Casey.

Leo slipped out of his bed and cracked open his own door, much more silently than his human friend. He'd been worried for the past week that the teen would take off any night now. It was coming up to the one month mark since Casey had started living at the lair with them and he could tell he was getting restless.

Leo had always thought of Casey as Raph's friend but he was starting to change his perspective. He was the only one who knew Casey's secret and even now the others hadn't pushed as to the reason behind him coming to live in the lair. Casey had been shocked after the first few days when he realised Leonardo hadn't told anyone and somehow sharing the secret had made them closer. The others had questions about Casey's extended stay but when Leonardo had told them and his father that it wasn't his story to tell but that it was necessary, no one had questioned him further.

Leonardo suspected one of the reasons Casey and Raph's friendship was going through a bad moment was the fact that he hadn't told Raph anything.

"You should talk to him." Leo had begun after catching the end of another of their angry fights. Raph had slammed the door in Casey's face after telling him that maybe if he was so unhappy here he should go back to his family.

"I don't want to have this conversation." Casey had answered from the bench beside Leo, his leg pressed against Leo's cold thigh.

The memory made Leonardo frown. He only knew that his family had passed away somehow but Casey hadn't said anything else about it. It wasn't as if Casey was spilling his guts out to Leonardo and keeping Raphael in the dark. Leo only knew what he'd found out on his own by accident. Maybe it was time to push a little harder.

Opening the door all the way, Leonardo slipped out into the living room and watched as Casey tried to wrap himself as best as he could in a blanket and squirm on the bench to get into a comfortable position. It wouldn't be an easy task, the benches were pretty solid and cold.

"Are you gonna just stand there and stare at me all night?" Casey asked him without turning around to look at him.

Leonardo nearly jumped. He wasn't aware he'd made any noise. "You shouldn't stay out here, Casey, you're going to get sick again."

"Well, what do you want me to do, Leo?" Casey answered a bit more harshly than Leo expected. "I can't sleep in there, Raph snores like a friggin' bear and it's not like I've got anywhere else to go. I'm just the free-loader who eats your food and takes up room on the couch." He sat up and gestured to the closed door with both hands when Raph gave a surprisingly loud snore before snorting and going back to his continuous rumbling noise.

Leo had to admit it was pretty loud and the acoustics down here were like in a cave. The sound echoed everywhere, he wasn't surprised Casey was tired and grumpy. He examined the teen more closely and noticed the bags under his eyes. _Okay, more like exhausted and grumpy._

"You are mistaken." Leonardo answered, crossing his arms and making Casey give him an incredulous look. "I'd say it's more like..." He searched for the word touching the fingers of one hand to his thumb and puckering his lips as if he were trying to explain the subtleties of a fine wine. "... a wild boar."

Casey guffawed before covering his mouth with his hand at Leo's shushing. "I'd say he's more like a wild sehlat."

Leonardo laughed out loud at Casey's Space Hero reference and this time he was the one being hushed. "A buck mating call." He said through muffled giggling and Casey laid down on his back and held his stomach as he tried not to make too much noise with his wheezing laughter.

"Ha ha, if we were at the farmhouse, hah, we'd wake up to a bunch of confused deer wandering around the yard expecting some action!" Casey managed to get out as he panted and wiped the tears off his face.

"Ahaha! Oh my God! Casey! Haha! Attracting deer with his snoring!" Leo was crying with laughter at the mental image and wondered out loud if that was the reason animals seemed to like him so much which brought on another bout of laughter.

They were laughing without restraint now, forgetting they were supposed to be quiet or just not being able to. Casey was trying to breathe in and laugh at the same time making a dreadful noise that set off Leo's even harder and with the faces Leo was making as he pointed at Casey, the boy couldn't stop.

After a moment when they were managing to calm themselves down somewhat they heard Raph's angry holler from inside his room. "Could you try to keep it down? Some of us are trying to sleep here!"

That reignited the laughter that had begun to die down, Leonardo was rocking back and forth on his shell on the floor and they only stopped when they heard the slide of a rice paper door that could only be Master Splinter, sobering them instantly.

"Sorry Master Splinter!" Leonardo called out pre-emptively. "We'll be quiet!"

"Boys, it is late. I suggest you get some rest before I suggest something else you could do to invoke sleep." He spoke from inside the dojo.

"Hai Sensei!" Leonardo answered quickly, reached out to snag Casey by the sleeve and dragged him off towards his bedroom.

Casey let out a "Hey!" as he was pulled along but followed the turtle anyway. Once they were behind the closed door he put his hands on his hips and addressed Leo. "Okaaay... what now?"

Leonardo looked at him as if he wasn't making any sense. "What do you mean what now? Now we sleep." He gestured towards the bed but Casey only lifted an eyebrow in response. "What?"

"I'm too keyed up for sleep." He complained. "Let's go topside!"

"Are you crazy? It's 2 A.M. Splinter will never let us go!" He stopped when he noticed Casey wasn't looking at him but behind him at the bed with a weird look on his face. "What?"

"Dude. Did you make your bed before going out in the living room? I was out there for like ten seconds before you came."

Leonardo turned around and looked at the bed. "It's not made!" He defended himself. "I only stretched out the covers before leaving, see?" He gestured to the side of the mattress. "The sheets aren't tucked in properly."

Casey was shaking his head as he looked at the corner of white sheet that poked out from under the otherwise impeccable blankets. "Whatever you say, dude." He answered with a grin knowing it would bug the turtle a little. "Cmon, you never just go out and do something fun. It'll just be an hour, no one will find out."

"Hey, I'm fun!" He answered, still annoyed at the previous observation but Casey just gestured towards his bed as if it explained everything. "I _can_ be fun!"

"Really?" Casey challenged, knowing he'd found a weakness. "I thought your idea of fun was an outdoor training session, or extra meditation."

Looking down Leonardo knew he'd lost. He could either convince Casey to sleep, in which case he'd be proving his point or go outside and potentially get into trouble. He sighed. "Just for an hour?"

Casey fist-pumped and hissed through his teeth in victory. "Let's go! Grab your skateboard." They walked to the door but Casey stopped him. "Hold on a second." He walked back to the bed and pulled back the blankets leaving them ruffled. "Much better."

"What was that for!" Leonardo whined.

"Just let it go, man." Casey answered as he steered the turtle out of the room pushing him by the top rim of his carapace. "You can do it, and that way it will be ready for when you get back."

Leonardo let himself be pushed out of his room, staring longingly over his shoulder at his messy bed but his eyes fell on Casey's face and the excited smile he wore warmed something inside him that twisted and made his heart beat a little faster. _Don't be silly._ He thought to himself as he tamped down on the feeling. _He's not excited about going topside with you, he just wants to go outside._ The thought sobered him a little. _And why do you care so much anyway?_ But he couldn't answer that one so he dashed the thought out of his mind.

He didn't manage to drown out the butterflies he was getting when Casey hooted and crowed in delight at the acrobatic moves he performed on his skateboard, the teen close behind on his roller skates as they raced across the rooftops. It was as if the air was electric, a thumping beat pulsing through his veins, a giddiness he hadn't felt since he was a kid making him breathless from more than just the physical exertion.

"This way, Leo!" Casey cried out before speeding away in another direction, hopping onto and grinding his roller skates against a ledge.

Skidding to a halt Leonardo headed towards the boy. He wasn't as agile and proficient on the skateboard as Mikey was even though he could do enough to impress Casey but he'd fallen behind so he strapped it onto his back and darted away, spinning and doing complicated flips over the vertigo-inducing heights with Casey laughing and cheering him on from the other side.

He was being really loud, like only Casey knew how to be, but Leonardo didn't have it in him to say something to quiet down the breathless laughter and encouragements that were being thrown his way to jump higher, run faster, "That spinny thing was AWESOME! Do it again!" and he acquiesced performing more elaborate moves as they went on, his limbs warmed from the burn of the strenuous activity and his chest warmed from... spending time with his friend. So engrossed was Casey in what the turtle was doing that he didn't notice a short ledge that split the rooftop in two causing him to trip and fall over it in a complicated roll and flat on his back with a groan.

Leonardo rushed over to him to make sure he was alright but Casey was still laughing, if a little weaker and more self deprecating, sitting up with a hand over his face and making Leonardo let out a relieved laugh of his own as he knelt beside him. "Who puts a wall in the middle of a rooftop!" Casey complained.

"Well that was embarrassing." Leonardo remarked with a cheeky grin on his face after he'd felt Casey's head for bumps and checked his joints for any sprains. "You said I was going to eat your dust but I didn't know you meant the dust you'd kick up from your _epic fail_!" He laughed in earnest at Casey's flustered expression. It was difficult to embarrass him and he was enjoying himself a bit too much to let the opportunity pass.

"You dork!" Casey huffed punching him playfully in the shoulder but couldn't help laughing as well. "It's all your fault!"

"My fault? How is it _my_ fault?" Leonardo said as he helped Casey up.

"You were distracting me!" He admitted and Leo would have found it funny only Casey's face was _so_ red it made his laughter falter. "You know... with your... fancy moves and all."

He looked at Casey's odd expression, tried to read something in his dark eyes but waved it off and smiled back at the boy shaking his head, letting go of his hand. "It's almost been an hour already, we should head back."

"Yeah, yeah..." Casey answered and for a second Leonardo wanted to tell him that they could stay longer to bring back the feeling from before, but it _was_ getting late and he didn't want to risk getting into trouble.

They sneaked back in, deciding it was best to give the showers a pass in case they woke anyone though Casey did go to "freshen up" if that was even possible, and then met him back in his room where Leonardo was folding up his gear and putting it away. Casey flopped down on his bed, snorting when he realised the turtle had straightened out the bedsheets again and folded the covers back into a perfect triangle. He pulled off his sweatshirt while toeing off his shoes, letting everything fall into a pile at the foot of the bed.

Leonardo made no comment about it as he untied his mask and carefully folded it, putting it in a drawer where he kept his spares and a swathe of blue cloth in case he needed to make more. He paused halfway through undoing the bandages and tape on his feet when he heart a muffled gasp from Casey. He turned to see Casey gingerly peeling away his trousers from a darkening shin and calve.

"It's just bruises." He told Leonardo quickly. His worry must have been plain on his face.

"I'll get you something for that, wait here." Leonardo pulled off the rest of the bandages quickly and went to retrieve some tylenol and a gel pack from the fridge.

He returned to find Casey in his t-shirt and boxer shorts with his leg stretched out on the bed poking at the haematoma around the edges. Leonardo batted his hands away and lifted his leg by the heel, turning it slightly and carefully to get a good look at it under the light. He handed the boy the tablets while he reached for his meditation mat, the spongy material rolled up, pulled back the covers completely and used it to prop up his leg.

"This really isn't necessary." Casey stated. "You don't have to take care of me all the time, you know."

"I want to." Leonardo answered automatically, his eyes widening at his own admission and ducking his head, suddenly feeling very shy and fidgety. He peeked back at Casey from the corner of his eye, hoping his comment had gone unnoticed but when he saw the teen's disarming smile he relaxed. Of course it was okay, this was Casey he was talking to.

"I want you to." Casey answered back quietly as he looked away, scratching his head as if it were nothing and Leonardo smiled back at him, helping him scoot over closer to the wall so he'd have room to squish in beside him.

It was a tight fit, much like it had been that first night when Leo found him on a ratty mattress in that abandoned building but the different circumstances made it less uncomfortable. Even with the electric heater on in the room it was still pretty cold down here so the extra warmth, "Jeez, Leo your feet are freezing! What are you made of, ice?" was welcome.

He must have been more tired than he originally thought because Leo was out like a light. It wasn't until a few hours later, when he'd usually start stirring for his morning meditation and breakfast or... breakfast and meditation now, that he was roused. Still heavy and warm from sleep he could barely register something tickling his snout and he huffed through his nostrils to get rid of it, too tired to move. When that didn't work he tilted down his chin to bury his face in his blankets rubbing his snout against the warm, breathing in the spicy scent that tickled his nose in a different, more pleasant way.

He hummed drowsily when he felt more warm pressure on the back of his head, sliding down to the nape of his neck and to the soft skin between his shoulders and his carapace, pressing down gently there and then filling up the space over them with more warm. His breathy hum turned into a soft vibrating sound he and his brothers sometimes did when they were younger, with their bellies full, loose-limbed and sleepy, piled up under blankets and blissfully happy like only children could be, or they sometimes did now that they were older only in the privacy of their rooms behind closed doors and not spoken about. Mikey used to call it purring when they were little, asked Donatello with large hopeful eyes if it meant they were also part cat but Donnie found out it was called churring, a sound made by some species of reptiles and some turtles.

Leo's head rose and fell with a sigh that wasn't his and he tensed up, his eyes opening as he roused, suddenly understanding where the warmth was coming from, or _who_ it was coming from, clearing his mind and stopping the noise he was making instantly.

"It's fine, just go back to sleep." Casey murmured and the warm weight lodged between the back of his neck, shoulders and carapace, which Leonardo now recognized as Casey's arm, pressed him a little closer.

Leonardo started becoming hyper aware of where his limbs were and what they were touching, the feeling of it drowning out everything as if he could actually hear it. His eyes were glued to the pink curve of Casey's neck, following down to the matching collar bone where he had his cheek pressed against and to his large green hand, palm on his stomach and fingers curled over his ribcage on top of the covers. His fingers twitched as he watched them as if they had a mind of their own, he was so intent on keeping them still he wasn't sure how to do it anymore. Casey moved slightly, lifting the arm that wasn't around him to pull the covers out and over Leo's twitching arm.

Now Leonardo's hand was separated from his skin only by the thin fabric of the cotton t-shirt he was wearing, his own cold skin searing from the heat that came off Casey's body. It wasn't until Casey shifted again that he realised their legs were tangled, Casey's thigh squeezed between his own. He tugged his leg to extricate himself but Casey held him still by pressing his together slighty.

"I said it's fine, Leo." Casey repeated but he barely heard him.

Leonardo was completely focused on trying to keep his breathing level while his heart galloped in his chest. He wondered wildly if Casey would notice with them pressed together the way they were.

 _Why are you so nervous? This is no big deal, you've slept curled up with your brothers all the time._ He said to himself.

 _Your brothers have never made you feel this way._ He answered. _Held you as if you were wanted, you liked it so much you were making_ _ **the sound.**_ _You_ _ **want**_ _him to hold you like this._

Casey gave a long, soft sigh, scattering his inner thoughts, his breath tickling Leonardo's face and the boy's fingers brushed over Leo's cold hand that was still curled over the teen's ribs and it made something pulse between Leonardo's legs. It was a yearning in an intensity he hadn't felt before, tinged with so much anxiety he shot out of bed in something close to a panic. He twisted around with his legs still tangled in the sheets and ended up on all fours on the ground with a confused Casey sitting up and asking him what was wrong and if he was okay as he scrambled to his feet.

Leonardo dazedly mumbled something about the time and meditation without turning around to look at him and practically ran to the dojo, only slowing down before entering to avoid waking up his father and have to give him an explanation he didn't even have for himself.


	5. Chapter 5

Donatello walked into the kitchen and was greeted with an uncommon sight: Casey Jones was fully dressed. It was something unheard of on a Saturday morning even if it was a rather late morning just before practice. Michelangelo was showing him how to make tea. _Since when did he even like tea?_ And Raphael was watching it all with a glare as he angrily stuffed his face with cereal.

Not in the mood to figure it out yet Donnie lurched over to his coffee maker and proceeded to prepare himself his first dose of the day. _No strange Casey shenanigans until after caffeine thankyouverymuch._

"NOOOOOO!" Mikey called out making Donatello turn sharply.

He was grabbing Casey's hand that was holding a spoon topped with sugar on its way to the steaming cup of tea he had just served, some of it now sprinkled on the table.

"What?!" Casey answered. "Leo takes his tea with sugar. I should know, I-"

"Leo drinks his tea plain. I should know, I've lived with him for fifteen years." Raphael snapped, a lot angrier than he should be about tea. "He thinks it's heresy to take it any other way."

"What are you talking about? He sometimes even puts milk in it." Casey answered but put the spoon back, a little more uncertain than he was before.

 _Ahh... he's making tea for Leonardo._ Donatello thought to himself. _That explains... some things._

He eyed up the teen and the odd behaviour of his other brothers. Raphael was definitely ticked off about something and Casey seemed to be at the centre of it, or was it Leo? And why was he making Leo breakfast?

Donatello knew they'd been talking until late at night or was it early morning? He wasn't sure, he'd been reading some science magazines April got for him in his room and he shared a wall with his brother, overhearing most of their conversations not by choice but because of proximity. He knew they slipped out of the lair, then came back together and spent the night in Leo's room.

 _Was it "notice me senpai" tea or was it "thank you" tea?_

He grinned internally to himself at the options and watched them as his coffee and his thoughts percolated. He'd obviously recruited Mikey to pull it off but how much did he know?

"Where's Leo?" Donatello asked, careful to keep his tone light and uninterested. Mikey and Casey tensed and Raphael bristled. _Interesting_.

"He's in the dojo, meditating." Casey answered and then quickly kept explaining though he hadn't been asked to elaborate. "I slept in his room so I was in the way for his morning meditation and he hasn't had breakfast yet sooo... I thought..."

"He can make his own breakfast." Raphael muttered.

 _Jealousy doesn't suit you, Raph._ Donnie felt like saying but he bit his tongue and kept quiet.

Meanwhile the toaster went off, bouncing a couple of lightly toasted slices of white bread. "Is that for Leo too?" Donatello asked him as he poured himself a mug of glorious thick black liquid, strong enough to wake the dead and cause instant sobriety just by the smell alone (even though coffee reducing the levels of alcohol in breath and blood is a myth, of course).

"Uh..." Casey hesitated meaning that yes, he had intended it to be for his brother.

"Leo usually has-" Michelangelo started to explain kindly as he reached for the whole grain loaf but was cut off by Raph.

"Leo only eats the brown crap that tastes like cardboard and is full of seeds that get stuck in your teeth." Raph told him with a look that said don't you know _anything_?

Casey frowned and picked up a tub of peanut butter, turning it in his hands thoughtfully as his brows knit together in thought or in worry, Donnie wasn't sure which. Maybe both. "Does he have it plain or...?"

"He has it plain, all plain and boring and responsible just like _he_ is. He's had the same thing _every day_ since _forever_." Raph countered with a bit of grin as he watched Casey's distress.

"Well, I don't know Raph." Donatello answered after a long sip. "Occasionally he has a bit of orange juice on the side of a slice of responsible toast." He smiled at the teen but it went unnoticed, not understanding why this was upsetting him, wasn't even sure if he _was_ upset. He looked upset at least.

"Maybe he's been switching things up. We could just ask Leo." Michelangelo interjected more nervous than anyone had a right to be about bread toppings.

"Ask me what, Mikey?" Leonardo asked from the doorway and when his eyes met Casey's they both tensed up and looked away.

 _I see._ Donnie thought as he took another sip and his reddish brown eyes darted from one to the other. _It was "I'm sorry" tea._

Raph swung an arm behind his chair and grinned as if he'd just beat all their high scores on the pinball machine. "Yeah, let's ask him. Hey Leo, how do you take your tea, huh? What do you usually have for breakfast?"

Even Raph's smile faltered as they all watched Leonardo's reaction. He _paled_ at the innocuous question, his eyes falling to and staring at the items on the table set in his spot and then to the tub of peanut butter the teen held in hands and he seemed to shrink at the sight of it.

 _What on earth is going on?_

When he pulled his eyes away from it he looked up at Casey with the largest pair of guilt-ridden eyes and regret written all over his face. Donatello had only ever seen him like this when Master Splinter caught him in a lie or doing something he shouldn't. Something that didn't happen very often though recently Casey's influence had nudged him into bending the rules on occasion.

The kitchen was silent as they just looked at each other with the strangest, most unfathomable feelings seemed to be having over... breakfast items? Even Michelangelo whimpered at Leo's reaction, watching them both while Casey slowly set the tub down on the table with a tap that sounded much louder due to the lack of any other noise. Leonardo opened his mouth, hopefully to explain what was going on, but closed it and then bolted from the kitchen without a word.

All eyes fell on Casey but he just picked up the plate and cup, dropped the slices in the bin, dumped the liquid down the drain and then left them in the sink and walked out as well.

"Well, that was odd." Donatello commented once it was over and the rest of them stood or sat there in thoughtful silence. "What was that all about?" He asked Mikey before the turtle could scamper off. Everyone knew he couldn't keep a secret to save his life.

"Casey just told me he messed up with Leo and wanted to make him breakfast." He shrank gloomily into a chair and slumped onto the table.

Well that didn't explain the strange freak-out over food. Donatello sighed. It was possible one of them had made a move in this nebulous dance they were doing around each other and it hadn't gone well. He'd been certain that they harboured feelings for each other. It was a shame, he knew Casey had meant well. He hoped it wasn't their near constant teasing what had pushed one of them away.

Donatello turned his thoughtful gaze to Raphael. "And why are _you_ mad at them?"

"I'm not mad!" He answered a little louder than he'd probably meant to, crossing his arms at Donatello's incredulous look. "I'm just sick of him suddenly being all about Leo. I'm not good enough anymore? He has to go tell all his secrets to Captain Dorkface? I just don't get it!"

"You didn't mind when Casey was 'all about April' before." Donatello said and let the sentence sit there, finishing off his first mug and pouring out a second one as understanding slowly came to his brother.

Raphael's eye ridges incrementally rose as he caught on to what Donatello was implying. "Wait. What?! You're kidding right? Casey is...? With _Leo_?"

"Even _I_ knew that they liked each other." Michelangelo replied as he sat up. "Or at least I thought they did." He added sadly.

"But this is _Leo_ we're talking about. I mean... what does he even see in him? Casey's human and Leo is... Leo."

"More eloquent words have never been spoken." Donatello dead-panned making Raphael huff. "Maybe not everybody thinks like you do, Raph. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, after all."

"Yeah, _Raph_ , maybe not everybody thinks like you do and... that _other_ thing he said about beholders. Aren't those the scary ghost things from Harry Potter that suck out your soul? What do they have to do with anything?" Michelangelo asked, completely missing the point.

"Those are Dementors, Beholders are the Mazes & Mutants monsters that are like a big floaty eyeball with tentacles." Donatello automatically corrected.

"Whatever, nerds. We're gonna be late for training." Raphael slurped down the rest of his bowl of now mushy cereal, sloshing some milk onto his snout that Donatello decided not to tell him about and walked out. He might take a quick picture with his t-phone while he was doing katas if he got the chance and then send it to the group with the caption "milk moustache ninja"

Donatello gulped down his second mug and followed with a whiney Michelangelo on his heels. "But Donnnniiieee, what do eyeball monsters have to do with anything?"

Donatello slung an arm around his shoulders as they walked and whispered conspirationally into the side of his head. "If a beholder finds you beautiful they suck your soul out." He lied easily. At Mikey's horrified expression he nodded sagely. "Through your eyeball." He pointed at one of Mikey's wide blue eyes and made a sucking sound followed by a pop.

Before he entered the dojo, Donatello looked in the direction Casey had gone and just caught sight of him going into Raph's room and closing the door behind him. _They'll figure it out._ He thought to himself. _I hope._

Casey wasn't around after they emerged from training. Leonardo pretended like it wasn't bothering him but he kept stealing worried glances to Raphael's closed door. Under other circumstances Donatello was sure Raph would be teasing him about it but he only sat in his beanbag chair and observed his brother quietly, a pensive look on his face and his mouth pressed together into a fine line. Leonardo even got up a few times, walked in that direction, losing his nerve somewhere along the way and then veering off course to go to the bathroom or his own room.

When lunch time rolled by Raph went over to knock and let him know through the door but got no answer. After lunch he decided he'd had enough and just went inside without even knocking. Donatello supposed that sometimes, specially when treating with Casey, a firm and angry hand might be required. He came back out to the living room alone a moment later.

"He's gone." Raphael told them and something in his worried eyes and tense shoulders told them he didn't just mean 'he went out'.

"What do you mean, Raph?" Donnie asked but he was pretty sure he already knew the answer.

"He took all his stuff." He continued in that small bewildered voice he used when he realised something bad had happened and he couldn't fix it with his fists.

They all looked at Leonardo who had shot up the moment Raph had started talking. He pulled out his t-phone and immediately dialled, holding the phone to the side of his head as they all waited nervously. When nothing happened he dialled again and repeated the process.

"He isn't answering?" Mikey asked even though they could all hear the tone that went on forever and then stopped.

"Maybe he went back with his family. Made up with them or something." Raphael tried to reason.

 _Unlikely._ Donatello thought but didn't word his opinion. With all the time he'd already been living here they hadn't heard them call him once which meant that either it was something huge and irreconcilable or at least not in the span of one Saturday morning training session. Either that or they were-

"He didn't." Leonardo answered frustratedly as he dialled once again.

Raphael bristled. "How do you know? He tell you that too?"

Leonardo just turned away from him and muttered under his breath. "Come on... come on. Answer the phone." The tone went dead and he dialled again.

Donatello sighed. This was the other end of finding 27 missed calls from Leonardo on your phone. He wondered if it was always performed with so much anxiety and if he should check Leo for stomach ulcers. "Maybe someone else should try...?"

This time the tone stopped after a few seconds. "Casey! Casey I-" Whatever Leonardo said was cut short and he looked at his phone for a second before frowning and dialling again. "His phone is off." He said sadly as he lowered it.

"Maybe his battery died?" Michelangelo suggested nervously.

"Let's just get April to go to his house and see if he's okay." Raph argued.

"She can't." Leonardo answered brusquely as he put his hands to his head and started pacing. He was now in his 'I need to come up with a plan fast don't talk to me' mode.

"What do you meant she can't?" Raphael stopped him and spun him around by a shoulder.

"I can't tell you!" He answered desperately, his eyes sad and so very worried.

It was option two. He'd thought as much. "There is no family is there?" Donatello asked quietly and Leonardo's shocked expression answered for him. He still shook his head after a moment to confirm it.

"That can't be right, he talks about them all the time!" Raphael began to argue but he stopped when things started making sense. "It can't be... since when?"

Leonardo sank onto the bench, his head in his hands as he continuously shook it and kept silent. What a secret to be keeping. "How did you find out?" Donatello asked him gently placing a hand on his shoulder to make him stop.

"He didn't tell me anything else, I don't _know_ anything else!" He glanced up at Donatello with a pleading look that said: don't make me say anything.

"So you found out on your own." Donatello sighed, mind racing back to the night he'd brought back Casey after telling them he was going to spend the night with him, but if he had no family and no place to stay... "He was sleeping on the streets, wasn't he? You found him sleeping on the streets when he'd told Raph he was with his sister or something I recall."

Leonardo deflated. "He was squatting in some abandoned building. He'd been living there for a while." He glanced up at Raph who looked dazed and somewhat betrayed. "He didn't _tell me_ anything. He didn't even come back with me until I threatened him with staying with him until he did and then you guys said you'd track my phone to come find me and he... came along."

Raphael shook off Leonardo's hand he had placed on his arm. "Why didn't the idiot say anything? How long has this been happening?"

"Always? I don't know, he never said. He never talked to me about it, I don't know what happened or how long or why he didn't stay in a home or anything. I was just hoping he'd open up to you or me one day but he didn't and now he's gone."

Raphael breathed out and sat on the bench beside Leonardo while Michelangelo fidgeted. "What are we gonna do?" He asked to the room in general.

"What happened between you two?" Donatello asked Leonardo.

He put his head in his hands again. "I messed up. I messed up big time and now I've messed up even more..."

"Can it be fixed?" Donatello asked him as he squeezed his shoulder.

Leonardo's eyes darted back and forth as he came to a decision, his shoulders squaring and gathering his resolve as he gave a sharp nod. "I'll fix it."

"I can scan the city's camera network for Casey but it's gonna take some time to set up." Donatello stood up straight and interlaced his fingers stretching them and making a couple pop.

"We can't leave until it's dark so start doing that. After dark we'll look for him on foot, let April know we need to talk to him in case he goes to her place." Leonardo ordered, all business.

"I'm on it." Donatello answered and went to his lab.

"Don't worry. We'll find him." Raphael told Leonardo once Donnie had gone and they were left to wait on their own. "And then we'll drag him back by his hair if we have to and beat some answers outta him." He punched his palm to show he meant business but he was smiling.

Leonardo chuckled and stared at his phone. And worried.


	6. Chapter 6

Leonardo stopped trying to get through to Casey's phone about thirty calls later. He couldn't help himself and kept trying over and over on the off-chance that the phone might be on this time. He sometimes went overboard like that, his brothers knew and would tease him about it but he couldn't just not do anything.

It was almost dark and they'd already figured out what they'd do and where they'd go when they could hit the streets. He hoped he'd be able to get to talk with Casey and fix things between them, still wasn't sure what he was going to say or how mad at him he was but he'd cross that bridge when he got to it. Leonardo had already suspected Casey was feeling like the bum moocher at the lair who didn't belong there and caused more trouble than he was worth to a family that already had little resources so he had to admit he wasn't all that surprised when Raphael told them he'd left. He'd been expecting him to pick up his things and bail on them any night now.

Leonardo could feel Raphael's eyes on him as he paced Donnie's lab restlessly. They'd given up telling him to calm down or try get any more information out of him. Donatello had fortunately tuned out his presence and stopped looking at him with those big intelligent eyes that seemed to read into every little move or gesture he made. He was just so nervous about what to say when the moment came, it wasn't going to be easy.

He was already going to have to come clean to Casey about them all knowing he was homeless and even though he knew that would go against making his case in getting him to return with him, he couldn't withhold the information. Lying to him about something else wouldn't help. Michelangelo would probably let it slip first chance he got anyway and he knew Raphael might want to have "words" with him about keeping such a secret in the first place.

He'd had to talk to Master Splinter about it as well when he realised it wouldn't do to have him out of the loop once the secret was out. Master Splinter had immediately realised something was wrong when he entered the living room shortly after and there would be no hiding it now. He asked Leonardo to join him in his room for some tea and he knew he would have to disclose everything.

"You are upset." Master Splinter said after an eternal moment of silence and even though it was phrased as a question, it was more of a statement after Leonardo's brief story.

He didn't really know how to respond to that. Of course he was upset, he essentially caused Casey to run away from them to go back to living in the streets but he wasn't sure how much he should say. Early morning when he woke up in the boy's arms he'd felt... something he wasn't expecting. He'd rejected Casey then when he escaped without wanting to confront what was going on. He probably thought that Leo was annoyed or freaked out by Casey's actions. He was in a way, he guessed, but not so much by what he did more than what it had caused inside him.

To Master Splinter he gave a small half shrug and a tiny nod.

"You believe you were at fault." He stated once more after a long sip of the steaming tea.

Leonardo hadn't even touched his own. He nodded once, keeping his head low. His stomach was done up in knots and he was terrified, so much that he thought he might end up throwing up his lunch and couldn't even think about putting the cup to his slightly trembling lips. He was afraid Master Splinter could look into him and pull out all the things he wasn't ready to face.

 _But you'll have to eventually if you want Casey back_. He thought to himself as he fisted his hands resting on his lap.

"What did you do that was so terrible that you won't even speak to me, my son?" Master Splinter asked with a long sigh.

Leonardo flinched at the question and shook his head with his eyes closed. _I rejected him. I pushed him away when he needed me. I lied to him. I betrayed his trust. Take your pick._ He thought as the silence stretched between them.

"But you want him to return?" His father asked him gently, realising he wouldn't get anything out of his son about it.

Relieved at the slight change of subject he swallowed and tried to speak with a steady voice. "I'll bring him back. He can still stay here, right?"

Master Splinter touched his beard thoughtfully. "We do not turn away friends in need of help. He may stay here as long as necessary."

Now Leonardo was wearing out a trench in Donnie's lab as he waited for either sunset to arrive or for the turtle to find something on the camera network. Both were taking too long and his nerves were already shot. He was way too wound up to even attempt meditation though he did try a breathing technique in his bedroom earlier.

He nearly jumped out of his skin when his phone rang, all eyes on him as he almost dropped it when he pulled it out of his belt tucked against his side. The shock on his face and his sudden hesitation must have broadcast who the recipient was because suddenly everyone was crowding around him.

"Casey?!" Leonardo called out immediately. "You... you left."

Donatello slapped a hand over his face and he heard Raphael mutter something about Captain Obvious striking again but he turned and walked a few paces away to get a little privacy.

"Hey, Leo." Casey greeted over the phone but his tone was flat. "Listen I just wanted to say..."

"-I can explain." Leonardo cut in urgently and then lowering his voice when he realised his brothers were huddled behind him again. "Before you say anything or make any decision just... I want to talk."

The line went quiet for long enough that Leo had to ask if he was he still there. "Yeah. Fine Leo, so talk."

"W-well... I meant in person." Leo squeaked back, unsure of what to say.

"Seriously? You can't do this over the phone? Or just send me a text or something?" Casey complained.

"Please." Leonardo asked quietly and waited for Casey to sigh in defeat before daring to get his hopes up.

He managed to ditch his brothers, some a little easier than the others, and headed to the spot where Casey had told him he'd be waiting: the rooftop where he'd fallen over the night before. He traced the same steps they had last night together but this time his heart raced with fear instead of excitement. What was he even going to say? _Explain about the lying first, that would be easiest._ It wasn't his intention to trick Casey, well it had been _exactly_ his intention to trick Casey into having breakfast but his reasons were good. He just hoped they were good enough, that he wouldn't see it as him treating him like an irresponsible kid and just that he was worried for his friend. The other things... weren't so easy to speak about.

He'd rejected and pushed Casey's affections away unintentionally. He'd been frightened of what they meant to him, perhaps Casey had only meant to be friendly as you'd be with a little brother or something but somehow he doubted it. The deliberate touches, the way he was held, it felt like something more and his body had responded to it. If he was going to convince Casey that he wasn't rejecting him when he ran from him then did that mean he wanted to take it further?

He paused after a jump, only a couple more left to go and he still hadn't sorted out his own feelings. With Karai it had been so simple at first. He'd been so sure he wanted them to be more than friends right from the start even though he never pushed it further. Then when she'd leaned into him the night they'd rescued her, he wasn't so sure any more. He was certain she was going to kiss him and instead of responding in kind, he'd leaned away in panic, his stomach twisting in anxiety.

And last night with Casey...

He put a hand to his chest as he tried to calm himself. The reaction he'd expected to have with Karai, the one he _wanted_ to have with Karai had come upon him abruptly in the boy's arms. Even when they were skating together over the rooftops he'd felt it, it wasn't just the excitement of being with a friend or the adrenaline from a fight.

 _I want him to look at me like he did last night again_.

The thought came into his mind intrusively but it was true. Casey had looked at him as if he were only thing in the world that mattered, as if he couldn't get enough of him before Casey had fallen over for not looking where he was going. He huffed a laugh at the memory and sprang over to the next rooftop. That was as much of an answer as he'd be able to figure out for now. He'd just have to see how things worked out.

Casey was sitting on the low wall that split the rooftop in two. He was hunched over and tapping the heel of a foot worriedly against it, straightening and crossing his arms defensively when he caught sight of the turtle.

"Casey! I... about this morning..." Leonardo started as soon as he landed. Casey looked like he was about to bolt so he might as well get to the point quickly.

"What part?" He asked as he leaned back slightly, stretching his long skinny legs in front of him and crossing them at the ankles.

"I... uh..." Leonardo faltered, unsure of how to word it. "I'm sorry." He finished lamely.

Casey eyed him with a frown. "What for?"

"It wasn't my intention to trick you into eating..." He began with the easier of apologies.

Surprisingly, Casey smirked and relaxed a bit. "Yes it was." He answered simply and then he continued more seriously. "I have to admit I was ticked off at first, I mean, I'm not a child." Leo began to say he was sorry again but Casey kept talking. "Like, why do you have to lie to me about something like that? I started questioning everything you said and did, ya know? Do I even know you? But I had a long time to think about things today and in the end I thought: you are such a sneaky ninja, ya got me. It was just a game we'd play and in the end... well."

He lifted his head and looked up at Leonardo's eyes before looking away again. "That's like the nicest thing someone's ever done for me." He shrugged and kept speaking. "You literally got up to make me breakfast every day and fed it to me." At Leonardo's relieved smile he added as he kicked his foot lightly. "You don't have to be a smug jerk about it."

Once that was out of the way Leonardo sighed and sat down beside Casey, leaving a little room between them. "About... the other thing."

"You don't have to apologize about that." Casey cut in. "I made a mistake, you're not into me that way. I just don't want it to mess up our friendship, it means a lot to me. You guys are like my family and that's really why I left." He rubbed his face with his hands and missed Leonardo shaking his head at what he was saying.

"I don't think I should stay at the lair any more. It'll only make things worse. I need a little space now." Casey continued quickly as he got up and started to walk away.

"No, you're wrong about that." Leonardo spoke softly at the same time.

Casey was facing the fire escape, ready to leave after saying what he was here to say. "Look, I get it. I already feel shitty enough stealing your food and all but I'm not gonna make things uncomfortable by sticking around and us avoiding each other all the time-"

Leonardo stepped forward intent on doing something to stop him but he wasn't sure what, the words he'd planned on saying were lodged in his dry throat. He could barely hear him over the thudding in his chest, his pulse in his ears and his unnaturally loud breathing. Leo stumbled forwards behind the teen in a sort of anxiety fuelled daze, spots dancing in his vision as he reached out with sweaty palms to keep him from leaving. Leonardo tentatively held onto the palm of Casey's hand between two large trembling fingers with barely any pressure but effectively cutting his speech short and holding him back.

Casey looked at the turtle over his shoulder in confusion before turning around slowly as he watched Leonardo worriedly. "Leo, what? Are you okay? You look a little pale."

Leonardo swallowed and tried to keep his voice level. "You're wrong."

Casey's brow furrowed as he realised what the turtle was talking about. "Don't do this, man." He answered. "It's okay-"

"I've never done this before!" He said over the boy. "I was scared, okay?" He breathed in and tried to blink away the spots. "I'm not cool like Captain Ryan, I don't know what I'm doing and I never really planned for this."

Casey's gaze darted from Leonardo's frightened eyes, to his slightly trembling mouth to his freezing cold hands. "What are you saying?"

Leonardo held his hand a little tighter, wrapping his own around it and drawing him a little closer, hoping he didn't look as insecure as he felt. "Casey... I..." He breathed out, his words failing him again. Everything he thought of sounded incredibly cheesy and embarrassing in his head. This was unknown territory, Captain Ryan hadn't prepared him for it and he wasn't sure his method would serve him at all.

Casey's lips turned upwards and he closed the distance slowly, making Leonardo close his eyes pre-emptively, his heart pounding and just wishing that he wouldn't fumble this. He wasn't sure what he was supposed to do and jumped a bit when Casey's free hand slid under his chin, tilting his head upwards.

 _OhGodOhGodOhGodOhGod. This is it. It's happening_. His mind repeated over and over as he felt Casey get closer, he could feel the heat coming from his direction increasing, the brush of his clothes against his plastron and then felt Casey's warm breath against his face. He tried to make his own breathing softer, Casey must have been an inch from him and he didn't want to be panting in his face.

 _I didn't brush my teeth before coming. What if my breath smells? What if he hates it?_ His mind raced with the possibilities. _What if my mouth is too big and it makes things weird? I don't want it to be weird._

The hand under his chin, shifted and Casey finally spoke up. "Okay, dude, I can't do this. You are crushing my hand and I'm worried you're going to freak out or faint. It's way too much pressure, you need to chill."

Leonardo opened his eyes and let go of Casey's hand at the boy's outburst with an embarrassed apology on his lips but Casey interrupted him. "I got a bit of cash, let's get some pizza and head home for dinner."

Home, he said _home_. He's coming home with me. "I'm s... o-okay." Leonardo answered and began following him to the fire escape.

"Dude!" Casey pushed him back as he swung a foot over the ledge. "That's a busy street! You wanna get seen? Meet me in that alley." He looked at Leo with a half smile on his face and shook his head.

"Sorry. Okay. Uhm, the alley, right." Leonardo headed in the direction he was told and went to hide in the shadows and wait for Casey.

 _Uncool, Leo! So uncool._ He said to himself under his breath as he crouched against the wall and lifted his head to tap the back of it against the bricks. He pressed his palms against his eyes and exhaled in a rush not realising someone had walked into the alley as he berated himself over and over.

He squeaked in alarm when he was pushed back against the wall, his carapace tapping the rough brick loudly and his arms shooting back to flatten his palms against it and avoid falling over. The noise was quickly muffled by the warm press of a smiling mouth.

 _Casey._

He watched the boy kiss him and then pull away in a bewildered state, not even blinking until he heard the wet pop of their lips separating. Casey was beaming, and Leo's mouth twitched slightly until it was mimicking him.

"Dude. _That's_ when you're supposed to close your eyes and kiss me back." Casey mock scolded him but it lost some of his authority with his reddened cheeks and smiling the way he was. "And what was that _noise_? Are you sure you aren't part rat too?"

Leonardo was barely listening even though he was watching his mouth intently. He rose smoothly from his crouch and stepped forward, his large hand curled around the back of Casey's head as he pulled him down a bit to make up for his height difference, his lips silencing whatever it was Casey was saying about having to wait for the order.

 _This is how kissing someone is meant to feel._ He thought as he tilted his head a bit more and slid his mouth over Casey's. He knew he was meant to close his eyes, Casey did, but he couldn't stop watching him as they came apart and back together, lips slightly parted enough to taste the warm wetness between Casey's lips. They fumbled a little bit, laughing a little breathlessly as they adjusted and tried again without making thing weird. The boy's breathing was as harsh as his own and his warm hands slid all over the bare skin of Leo's neck and shoulders much like they had last night, his own tangled in dark hair and the back of Casey's t-shirt.

Casey pulled away after a while taking a few breaths to clear his head. "I need to... uh... get the pizzas." He said as he rushed out into the street.

Leonardo stood exactly where he was and licked his tingling lips, tasting Casey still on them and feeling suddenly cold without the teen pressed against him. It wasn't long before they were heading back.

They didn't hold hands and didn't need to say anything to know they wouldn't tell the details about what had happened to his brothers back at the lair. It wasn't like in the movies where they were suddenly running off skipping into the sunset or whatever. They took the time during their walk back to talk mostly about harmless subjects as they would usually do. Maybe they were walking a bit closer together? He wasn't sure if they had already been doing that or not. Leonardo didn't know if this meant they were together or dating or something but he did know that something between them had changed irreversibly and he couldn't stop smiling about it.

Casey sat beside him on the bench as they ate from the pizza boxes on the floor, the TV blaring some crazy game show in the background nobody listened to as the others told Casey off half heartedly for running off and joked. Raph punched him in the arm and Casey bumped into Leonardo's side, turning and giving him a smile and a wink that made the turtle blush, much to his brother's amusement who kept nudging him even though he told them to stop.

Maybe one day Casey would confide in him the story of what happened to his family or what happened at the children's home but meanwhile he'd take care of Casey. He'd love him honestly and try to keep him safe for as long as he was here whether they were together or not, whether he ever learned the truth about his past or not, and he'd try to make him as happy as he was able to.

The End.

A/N: Thank you for reading and reviewing! This story has received such a warm welcome and such great comments that it fuelled me to complete it in record time! This won't be the end of these two. I want to leave this story here to keep the rating low and because this is a story of emerging feelings. I will post other bits of their ongoing romance but probably not in a multi chapter setting. I have a few ideas for them already :)


	7. Epilogue

Couldn't stop thinking about these two. Thought they needed a litte extra bit here before going on to think about the sequel (that would start months into their relationship).

* * *

Leonardo slipped into the empty building of the ice rink making sure there was no one who could see him. Casey had stayed out late for practice but even when it was already over he hadn't returned home and instead sent him a text to meet him here.

It had been a week.

A whole week had passed since their first kiss in that alley and Leonardo still wasn't sure what that made them, what had changed. They were still acting pretty much the same as they had before Casey had run off and he wasn't sure what to make about it.

Well, it was possible that Casey had been sitting closer to him when they watched TV, their legs pressed together, but he was certain that they'd been doing that before too, hadn't they? Their hands sometimes brushed when they walked side by side or lingered a heartbeat too long when they handed each other something, he was sure. He was mostly sure. Maybe. There was a possibility it was all in his head.

Maybe Casey had seconds thoughts about this and maybe Leo wasn't so sure about what to do about it either. It was one thing to share a kiss and another to make this into a relationship. _What would Master Splinter think?_

It had been his main worry since that night, the thought that Master Splinter would decide that Casey couldn't stay if he disapproved of their… whatever it was that was going on between them. If something _was_ going on between them he'd have to tell Master Splinter.

"Eventually," he added under his breath as he snuck over to the gate that opened up to the ice.

"Eventually what?" Casey asked from where he was bent over tying his laces and Leonardo nearly jumped out of his skin. "Some ninja!" Casey guffawed at his reaction.

Leonardo coughed into his fist to hide the squeak he'd just made and give him enough time to get his bearings and will away the burn he felt in his cheeks before speaking over the boy's laughter. "What was it you wanted, Casey? Your text was rather vague."

Casey's laughter died down and he gave the turtle his trademark lopsided, gap-toothed grin. "You."

Leonardo's heart began pounding in his chest at the insinuation and he searched frantically in his mind for something smart to say back but he had been blind-sided by Casey's candor. He didn't really have time to do more than gape for a few seconds before Casey got up smoothly, pulling Leonardo by the hand through the gate and onto the ice while the turtle gave up trying to tone down the inferno on his face, briefly wondering if rubbing it against the ice would help or just melt it all away.

"Uh." He said intelligently as he tried not to think about how his palms were sweating and how much time he had before Casey noticed.

"Come on, I'll show ya." Casey said and beamed back at Leonardo over his shoulder.

"Show me?" Leo wobbled a bit when he just stepped on the ice but then adjusted and glided along pulled by Casey.

There had been a slimy, moss covered part of the tunnels he and his brothers had played in when they were smaller, using the goo to slide around on their feet and shells before they'd had skateboards and this was very similar. Casey seemed to notice the change and frowned a little, letting go of his hand.

"Is there anything you can't do?" He asked with a little exasperation and Leo only smiled and shrugged.

"Plenty." He answered with a shy smile remembering how he'd fumbled their first kiss.

Casey seemed to read his thoughts because he shot back a sly smirk, a little red on his cheeks that could have been from the chill of the ice. "Okay, let's see what you can do then!" He issued the challenge before speeding away.

It was on! Leo chased Casey around the rink, nearly catching him before the teen would spin away just out of reach, changing directions quickly and performing complicated footwork worthy of competitive figure skaters. Casey was fast, and there were things Leonardo just couldn't do barefooted as well as Casey could, cutting over the ice on his skates.

He was also getting really cold pretty fast. He barely had any gear to begin with, even less now that he'd ditched his swords in an effort to try hinder his movement as little as possible. Being in direct contact with ice wasn't helping him either, Leonardo could barely feel anything below his ankles and he'd probably have to surrender in defeat soon. For some reason he really didn't want to do that, he wanted to win even though he wasn't sure when it had turned into that kind of game. He hadn't been tagged and they hadn't called out any rules. At some point soon after Leonardo had started following him around on the ice it had changed into him trying to catch Casey. He _really_ wanted to catch him and win. Seeing an opportunity Leo gave a sudden burst of speed and his fingers brushed Casey's hoodie making him whoop before accelerating in another direction.

"Close, but no cigar!" He crowed as he hopped and spun 180º degrees and started skating backwards to mock Leo more effectively. "You're as slow as a turtle!"

Almost stumbling over his feet as he recovered from overreaching, Leonardo knew he was running out of time and options. He followed behind Casey again, closely but just out of reach. Casey was taunting him with his proximity as Leonardo made a quick strategic decision. He waited until they skated closer to one of the ends of the rink before making his move. He feinted a dash to the left and as soon as Casey ducked in the opposite direction, lunged with the little strength he had left in his legs.

Casey realised his mistake a moment too late, his eyes widening as he turned and Leonardo's arms looped around his waist before barrelling into him with an "Oof!"

They both went down. Leonardo managed to twist around like a cat to take the fall on his carapace, Casey held tightly to him as they skidded right across the rink, spinning like a top before coming to a stop against the wall. He'd managed to absorb most of the crash with his legs but they weren't responding so well and they still collided against the barrier with a thud.

"Pfft. Should have known you'd try something sneaky." Casey panted as he pushed himself up part way and straddled the turtle, rocking them both a bit with the movement on his curved shell. Casey grinned as he regarded their situation and then pushed off from the wall with a kick, directing them towards the exit, using Leo as a sleigh.

"G-g-gotch-tcha!" Leo said through chattering teeth in a Colgate-white smile as they bumped against the gate.

Case's eyes darted to him and he placed a searing palm against Leo's cheek which he closed his eyes against. "You're freezing!" He exclaimed. "Dude! Why didn't you say something?"

"D-d-didn't want t-to l-l-lose." Leonardo answered with a shaking half-shrug as Casey dragged him from under his arms through the opening and then helped him walk to some place a little warmer.

He stared up at the locker room ceiling from where he lay on some mats. Leo dazedly wondered if Casey was going to change in front of him again and if he should turn around when he did start pulling off some clothes, his eyes darting away but drawn back to him. Instead of putting something else on Casey reached for a large blanket, put it on like a cape and lied down on top of Leonardo.

"Jeez!" Casey exclaimed again as Leo curled his arms around the molten hot human."You're more competitive than Raph!" He began to rub the turtle's arms vigorously.

"So waaarm." Leo breathed into his neck and then, because he wasn't really thinking, pressed his cold lips against the smooth skin.

Casey stiffened above him but before he knew it he was being kissed back, Casey's heated mouth finding his and opening against it, burning his tongue as he slid it into the boy's mouth with a sigh. Casey's breaths were coming in warm, tickling puffs against the turtle's cheek, face drawn into a look of concentration as Leo peeked at him through eyes cracked open.

After a while Leonardo was shivering for a different reason, squeezing Casey's leg between his thighs, the warmth of his skin through the thin material that separated them and the pressure against his thickened tail making him groan and squeeze harder, lifting his pelvis slightly when Casey shifted his knee forward and pressed it against him, causing a shudder to travel through his limbs that had nothing to do with temperature. He wanted to grind against Casey, wanted to be touched there to soothe the pressure that was growing within him but he used every ounce of control to keep himself still, whimpering when Casey rubbed against him again as he shifted.

Casey's thin fingers wandered over and dipped into the gaps where his shell joined his body adding to the maddening sensations that coursed through Leo. This was more than just the brush of hands as they walked, though those brought shivers to him as well, these touches were deliberate, Casey wanted to make him feel this way. Casey wanted him.

 _I love you_. The thought pushed through the haze in his mind but Leo halted it before it reached his lips and he blurted it out loud.

He slid his own fingers over the soft skin of Casey's back and hip, exposed to him through the gap between his t-shirt and the band of his underwear shorts, watching his reactions as Casey gasped and huffed as they kissed, squirming when Leo's thumb brushed his side. He smiled against Casey's mouth, having found a weakness, and repeated the movement, receiving a breathy whine for his efforts. Casey's eyes opened partially and he regarded Leo, slightly cross-eyed, through long lashes before they parted with a soft, wet smack.

"You're supposed to keep your eyes closed, you weirdo." He said without really meaning it, words whispered out through a smile, cradling Leo's head in his palm and pressing his forehead against the turtle's temple while his breathing slowed. "At least you're warmer now. I'm not making out with a snow cone anymore." He joked with a soft chuckle.

"I thought you were having second thoughts." Leonardo spoke when he'd calmed down a bit, now closer to regular body temperature but keeping Casey held close anyway under the blanket.

" _Me_ have second thoughts?" Casey pushed himself up a bit to stare at Leo in surprise. "I thought _you_ were having second thoughts!"

They stared at each other for a moment before Casey collapsed on him again and laughed against leaf green skin. It was contagious and soon Leonardo was laughing too, feeling the other's mirth through his plastron as they were still pressed closely together.

It wasn't that he wanted this to end but they should probably start heading back now if they wanted to get home before curfew. He briefly considered not saying anything and staying a while longer. _Raph would._ He thought, feeling a little jealous of the bond Casey and his brother shared and how they sometimes seemed to be reading each other's mind.

Leo bit his lip. He was always being the responsible one, the boring one, telling people to kee it down, or ending the fun when it was time and he suddenly didn't want Casey to think of him that way, the same way his brothers saw him. He tried to ignore his inner voice that was counting the minutes down before they were supposed to head out to arrive on time but failed. "It's getting late." Leonardo finally said to the room, the words escaping his mouth when he couldn't hold back any longer.

"Yeah, yeah." Casey got up, leaving Leonardo with a chill as he stretched and then pulled on his clothes. "Better head back before they send a search party." Casey sighed.

He strapped his own swords on his back as he waited for the other to tie his shoes, distracted by his own thoughts of inadequacy, wondering if he'd annoyed Casey when the teen slung an arm around his shoulders and planted a wet noisy kiss on Leo's mouth when he turned his head to look back at him in surprise.

"Ready?" Casey asked.

He probably only had meant if he was ready to go home, but Leonardo's chest constricted with the other meaning behind that single word when Casey was looking at him too seriously to only be talking about going to the lair. Maybe neither had second thoughts about moving forward with this, or maybe they both had. He wasn't sure what he was going to do or tell Master Splinter about it but he did know he wanted this. The warmth spreading inside him as Casey pulled him a little closer told him he was ready for whatever would come.

"Yes." He answered simply but sincerely and Casey must have received the message because his face split into a happy, relieved grin as they began the long walk home.


End file.
